New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter has warned his opposite number, Australia's Matt Giteau, to expect some extra attention ahead of Saturday's Tri-Nations decider in Brisbane.
Giteau has been the Wallabies go-to man during the tournament and the pressure will be on him to perform as the home side attempt to wrest away a crown the All Blacks have held since 2005.
The Western Force playmaker will also be burdened by the Wallabies' lack of depth at fly-half, with back-up Berrick Barnes ruled out of the match through injury.
Australia coach Robbie Deans opted not to select a replacement in the squad he named on Tuesday and that has caught the attention of the Carter and, seemingly also, the All Black forwards.
'I'm not too sure what sort of back-up plan they have,' Carter told the Courier Mail.
'It's a decision they've made and I'm sure they're confident they've got adequate cover if he goes down.
'I'm sure the loose forwards might run down his (Giteau's) channel a little bit come Saturday night.'
While Carter's comments have put Giteau on notice, the All Black number 10 is wary of focusing all attention on just one player.
Carter cautioned his team-mates about the attacking threat posed by the Wallabies' backline, highlighting the ball-running capabilities of captain Stirling Mortlock - who has trained at fly-half during the week - and rugby league convert Ryan Cross.
'If we go out there and try to target him (Giteau) any more, it'll open up gaps in other areas,' Carter said.
'They (Mortlock and Cross) are a couple of great ball runners (and) extremely strong in the tackle. That proves a real threat in itself.'
Victory for the All Blacks at Suncorp stadium will not only tie up the Tri-Nations crown for a fourth consecutive year, but also the Bledisloe Cup for the fifth time on the trot.
And after the Wallabies suffered a demoralising 53-8 in their previous outing against South Africa in Johannesburg a fortnight ago it would seem the way is paved for the All Blacks to again deliver more silverware.
However, this season's Tri-Nations has been marked by topsy-turvy results - the Wallabies earned their first victory in South Africa for eight years only a week before their Johannesburg humiliation.
Indeed, the All Blacks have already suffered defeat at the hands of the Australians on their home soil when they lost 34-19 in Sydney.
To punctuate the inconsistent nature of results, the All Blacks returned the favour a week later with a 39-10 win.
For that reason captain Richie McCaw remains cautious of the Wallabies under the canny leadership of Deans.
'He (Deans) will turn them in the right direction so they'll be a totally different team to what we saw in that Test in South Africa,' McCaw said.
'If you turn up with (your) attitude not quite on that edge, it's so easy to come second. We've seen big points turnarounds in one week between all three teams.
'On Saturday when we're going to be up against a team that's desperate, we've got to be the same.'
